German court fines former cycling champion Ullrich over prostitute attack

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BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A German court has fined former cyclist and Tour de France champion Jan Ullrich for attacking and injuring an African sex worker in a luxury hotel, public prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Ullrich was convicted on the charges of body injury and attempted coercion and the court in Frankfurt decided that he had to pay a fine of 7,200 euros ($8,023.68), the public prosecutors’ office said in a statement.

Previous charges of attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily harm were dropped in the course of the investigation, it added.

The 45-year-old defendant was accused of having physically attacked and injured a 31-year-old Congo-born sex worker in a room in a luxury Frankfurt hotel in the early hours of Aug. 10, 2018.

First, he insulted the woman and asked her to give back 600 euros he had given her in advance for her services, the statement said, adding that the defendant was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The defendant then grabbed the woman by the neck with one hand and pushed her against a wall. After that, he gagged her with both hands and slammed one fist against her arm, it said. The woman suffered a haematoma and pain-related restrictions in the movement of her shoulder muscles and cervical spine.

The public prosecutors’ office said that the woman was not interested in any further prosecution after Ullrich apologised for his behaviour and paid her compensation.